Haze in Singapore: Air quality remains unhealthy for much of the island
Only the south has moderate levels of pollution with 24-hour PSI reading still below 100.
Singapore's air quality remained unhealthy across most of the island early on October 6 according to the 24-hour Pollutant Standards Index (PSI). The north, east, west and central regions all registered PSI readings above the unhealthy threshold of 101. Only the south remained in the moderate range. Early morning PM2.5 readings were elevated in the east, west and central regions.
Elevated PM2.5 levels indicate a potential impact on immediate outdoor activities. On October 4, the entire island was enveloped in unhealthy air, peaking at 136 PSI in the central region at midnight. The central and west regions were the only ones to remain in the unhealthy range for at least a full day. The National Environment Agency (NEA) forecasted that prevailing winds from the south-east or east-south-east would keep the 24-hour PSI in the "high moderate to mid unhealthy" range.
Dry conditions are expected to persist over neighboring Indonesia, contributing to smoke plumes drifting towards Singapore. Haze in Singapore has been a recurring issue, with the PSI crossing into the unhealthy range four weeks ago on September 4. This is the first time since October 2023 that the PSI has reached unhealthy levels due to haze.
The last time this occurred was in September 2023, marking the highest reading of the year at 164 in central Singapore. The conditions leading to this haze are attributed to warmer and drier conditions caused by El Nino and the Indian Ocean Dipole. Experts predict that the haze in Singapore in 2026 could persist for a longer period due to the "Godzilla" El Nino event, which may result in reduced rainfall and higher temperatures compared to non-El Nino years.
In non-El Nino years, the dry south-west monsoon season typically ends by September, making way for the rainy north-east monsoon season around late November. The Meteorological Service Singapore (MSS) noted that strong El Nino events tend to delay the retreat of the dry season in much of the southern ASEAN region, with a transition expected only during late October or early November for Singapore.
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